Buoyant bathing suit



p 1965 MITSUO TAMURA ElAL 3,204,264

BUOYANT BATHING SUIT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 17, 1963 o o o o o 0 o 0 Q p 1965 MITSUO TAMURA ETAL 3,204,264

BUOYANT BATHING SUIT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 17, 1963 O O O wwwwmmo 0000 0 o o o o o o o o o o 0 0 o o o o o o o o p 1965 MITSUO TAMURA ETAL 3,204,264

BUOYANT BA'IHING SUIT Filed June 1'7, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent 3,204,264 BUOYANT BATHING SUIT Mitsuo Tamura, Horidome-cho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Shiro Kanoh, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Kaname Ichtmura, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, and Keiichi Hayashi, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa-ken, Japan, assignors to Teijin Limited, Osaka, Japan, a corporation of Japan Filed June 17, 1963, Ser. No. 288,231 Claims priority, application Japan, June 16, 1962, 37/31,302, 37/31,303, 37/31,304, 37/31,305; June 22, 1962, 37/33,082; June 26, 1962, 37/33,300, 37/ 33,301

4 Claims. (Cl. 9-334) This invention relates to a bathing suit which is made by attaching to a bathing suit body a foamed material having independent cells. More particularly, the invention relates to a bathing suit which is made either by fastening to a bathing suit body a foamed material having independent cells or by detachably attaching said foamed material to a bathing suit body. It specifically concerns a bathing suit made by fastening together a knitted or Woven fabric and a foamed material, cutting this into pieces in sizes required by the bathing suit and then bringing together and sewing the cut edges. The invention also includes a set in which the foregoing bathing suit is combined with a bathing cap made of a knitted or woven fabric to which has been fitted a foamed material having independent cells.

Since in the case of a foamed material having independent cells the individual cells do not communicate with each other and hence the gas contained in the cells does not escape to the outside, so long as the material forming the foamed material comprises those of relatively small specific gravity, namely synthetic resins such as vinyl chloride, styrene, urethane, urea, etc. and rubber, the foamed material itself, possessing buoyancy owing to the gas contained in the cells, will float even when thrown into water. Since the hereinbefore described material possesses flexibility, pliability and elasticity, it conforms to the bodily form. Hence, even when fitted inside the foregoing bathing suit, it differs not a whit in its wearing comfort from that of the conventional bathing suit. Accordingly, the present invention has the following objects.

A primary object is to provide a bathing garment in the form of bathing suit life saving equipment and the like in which by fitting a foamed material thereto and utilizing the buoyancy of the fitted foamed material the human body is kept afloat above the surface of the water at all times thereby enhancing the safety of a person and prevent his drowning.

Another object is to provide a bathing suit which is made by fastening to a knitted or Woven fabric a foamed material having independent cells, cutting this to conform to a bathing suit and thereafter accomplishing the sewing thereof, the resulting bathing suit being in perfect agreement with the shape of the human body.

A further object is to provide a bathing suit consisting of a combination of a bathing suit made of a fabric having elasticity with an under bathing suit internally provided with a synthetic resin foamed material having independent cells.

A still another object is the provision of a set in which is combined the herein above bathing suit with a bathing cap internally provided with a synthetic resin foamed material having independent cells.

By these objects it is possible to provide for the maintenance of the safety of a person on the water by the buoyancy possessed by the foamed material having independent cells, and also on account of the elasticity possesed by the foamed material its conformity with the human body is such as to make it most suitable for bringing "ice out its properties as a bathing suit. Additionally, it is possible to provide at a relatively low cost a bathing suit which moreover possesses greater durability than that of the conventional bathing suit.

By virtue of the properties of elasticity, flexibility and pliability possessed by the foamed material, the foregoing bathing suit fits the human body perfectly. Furthermore, it possess-es other effects, namely: (1) its appearance is good because of the relative thinness of the foamed material; and (2) since it is possible to create the shape of the bathing suit artificially to conform to the beauty requirements of the wearer, it is possible to conceal the wearers physical defects.

A more complete understanding of the present invention may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a side elevation in section of the composite material used in this invention; FIG. 2 illustrates a bathing suit in which a foamed material having independent cells is fastened partially to a bathing suit; FIG. 3 is a side elevational view in section of a bathing suit in which a foamed material of the same size as the bathing suit is fastened thereto; FIGS. 4 and 6 are front elevations respectively of a brassiere pad and a shorts pad, both of which are adapted to be detachably worn; FIGS. 5 and 7 are a side elevation in section and a side elevational view respectively of the foregoing pads; FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of a modification of the foamed material which comprises two sheets of plates between which is integrally fastened in sandwich fashion a plurality of parallely lined-up hollow cylindrical foamed materials; FIG. 9 is a front elevation of a bathing suit to which has been fitted a foamed material; FIG. 10 is an abridged sectional view showing the sewn together portion; FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the material of which the bathing cap is made; FIG. 12 is a sketch illustrating the construction of the bathing cap; FIG. 13 is a sketch showing a bathing cap which has been provided with a lappet; and FIG. 14 is a sketch illustrating a bathing cap in which the lappet has been turned upward against the cap proper.

Referring in detail to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a base sheet in the form of foamed material 11 having independent cells 12, which material is made into either a brassiere pad 15 or a shorts pad 18, as shown in FIG. 2, or an all-in-one pad 14, as shown in FIG. 3, and then fastened to the bathing suit proper.

The portions in which the foamed material is fitted in or enclosed is of double construction. Namely, in 13 of FIG. 2, the brassiere part and the shorts part are made in double construction by means of the knitted or woven fabrics 15, 16 (15 being the surface fabric of the bathing suit proper) and knitted and woven fabrics 18, 19, respectively; the foamed materials 17 and 21, respectively, being enclosed therein. In FIG. 3 is shown the instance in which a foamed material 24 is fastened between knitted or woven fabrics 22 and 23 (22 being the surface fabric of the bathing suit proper). In fitting the foamed material, instead of employing the method of fastening as in FIG. 2, the foamed material may be enclosed as shown in FIG. 2 or, as hereinafter described, the foamed material may be adhered between the knitted or woven fabrics. On the other hand, when attachment to the bath; ing suit proper of the foamed material having independent cells is so made as to be detachable, it is also possible to make the foamed material 11 having independent cells 12 into either a brassiere pad 25 and shorts pad 28, as shown respectively in FIGS. 47 and then internally fit these pads detachably to the bathing suit proper by means of fastening means 27. As attaching means, as illustrated in the figure, fastening means 27 such as by means of hooks or fasteners can be used or a pocket can be provided partially into which the pads are inserted.

In the latter instance where a pocket is adopted, while the foamed material alone can be internally fitted, in the case of attachment by means of book, etc., the foamed material can be attached after covering with a knitted or Woven fabric 26, 29 of such as tricot, etc., or a fabric as illustrated, for improving the feel and for reinforcement, or for the purpose of maintaining the appearance of the bathing suit when the foamed material has been removed therefrom.

For beautifully emphasizing the bodily curves and increasing the buoyancy of these bathing suits, the tips of brassiere pad, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and 5, and the posterior, etc. of the shorts pad can effectively be made thicker, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 6- and 7.

Preferably, the bathing suit proper should be made so as to insure that the foamed material is completely in intimate contact with the body by permitting some elastic tension to be present in the bathing suit in order to impart the buoyancy uniformly and also from the standpoint of good appearance.

As a means of augmenting the buoyancy of the foamed material still further, between two plates of the hereinbefore described foamed material 11, as shown in FIG. 8, there can be disposed a plurality of hollow cylindrical foamed materials 31, the hollow cylindrically shaped foamed bodies 31 being positioned with the axes thereof substantially in parallel to define an intermediate layer thereof having a thickness substantially equal to the outside diameter of said cylinders, and then by either adhering the three elements or effecting their integration by some other means and by making hollow parts 32 and gaps 33 formed between cylinders 31 and plates 11 independent of each other and, as independent hollow parts, hermetically sealed from each other, the buoyancy of the foamed material assembly employed as the base sheet layer of the composite material employed in the invention can be augmented still further. A bathing suit made by adhering the two sides of this foamed material assembly to a knitted or woven fabric 34, hereinbefore described, and in which the hollow parts 32 of cylinders 31 and the gaps 33 formed between the cylinders 31 and the plates 11 are isolated from the outside air have a greater buoyancy than that of the hereinbefore described bathing suits which have been illustrated in FIGS. 27. Hence, it is greatly effective for use by beginners and children in practicing swimming or to be worn by lifeguards when saving persons from drowning.

In making a bathing suit by adhering or fastening the knitted or woven fabric 34 to the foregoing foamed material 11 having independent cells 12, cutting the foregoing and then sewing the pieces together, there is the fault that the appearance of the product is impaired by the overlapping vof the foamed material at its seam, if sewn together in the conventional manner, since the foamed material itself is thicker than the fabric.

Therefore, for overcoming this fault, the cut edges 36, 36' are abutted against each other and sewn together as indicated by reference numeral 37 in FIG. 10, thereby accomplishing the assembly of the bathing suit 14. Thus the seams, as shown in FIG. 9 exhibit no difference in thickness even at the line of juncture, with the consequence that the appearance of the product is not impaired. Therefore the foamed material itself can be fitted to the body and sewn together.

In this case, if the edge portions 39 of the bathing suit are covered with an elastic tape and sewn together, not only can the color of the foamed material of different color which has been fastened or adhered to the knitted fabric be prevented from being visible from the outside but also sufiicient elasticity can be maintained even when the bathing suit is being put on or taken oif.

Furthermore, for the bathing cap also which becomes a part of the bathing suit, that as shown in FIG. 11, consisting of a foamed material having independent cells to the two outer sides of which isadhered a cloth 34 having elasticity, such as a knitted or woven fabric, is used; and as shown in FIG. 12, the cap is made by applying the foamed material in two layers to the rear head portion 41 and in a single layer to the other portions 42 and then sewing the pieces together. In this instance, the assembly of foamed material in which hollow cylinders have been sandwiched, as shown in FIG. 8, can also be used. Additionally, it is also possible to provide a lappet 44 by extending the bathing cap proper downwardly, as shown in FIG. 13, wherein is fitted either a single-ply LOT double-ply foamed material. When the bathing cap is used by turning this lappet 44 up against the cap proper along line 45, the buoyancy of the turned up portion 46, as shown in FIG. 14, is added to that of the cap proper to make it still easier to keep the head afloat.

Generally, if the foamed material is just of the conventional type of foamed synthetic resin, with its cells being in communication with each other, it would permit the penetration of water in a short period of time as in the case of a sponge when immersed in water and hence its buoyancy would be lost. The foamed material used in the present invention is however that in which the cells are independent, with the consequence that water does not penetrate it at all.

Therefore, since the bathing suit according to this invention is of a construction as described above, it does not soak up water in use because the foamed material is composed of independent cells and hence exhibits permanent buoyancy. Thus, the human body is kept afloat above the surface of the water thereby providing buoyancy to a person unable to swim and facilitating the practice of swimming by the beginner. Moreover, it is significant in that it guards the safety of life, particularly that of the young.

Again, by making the foamed material detachable from the bathing suit proper, it is convenient in that, when one becomes able to swim, the foamed material can be readily removed from the bathing suit so as to become a conventional bathing suit to enable one to swim unencumbered.

Further, in a bathing suit in which is used an assembly of the foamed material, as shown in FIG. 8, which assembly not consisting of a single plate but of two plates of foamed material between which are disposed in parallel a plurality of hollow-cylinders which three elements are integrated, a large amount of air can be contained to renderits buoyancy much superior to that of the foamed material consisting of a single plate. Hence, as hereinbefore stated, it is the safest bathing suit that can be used by beginners and children and insures against any fear of their drowning.

Additionally, in connection with the hereinbefore described bathing suit, the use of the foregoing foamed material as an under bathing suit to be worn under a conventional bathing suit also is useful in keeping the body safely afloat above the surface of the water by means of the buoyancy of the independent cells and perfect fit of the foamed material to the body on account of its elas- .ticity.

, material comprising a water-proof base layer upon at least the outer surface of which base layer is integrally adhered a fabric selected from the group consisting of knitted and woven fabrics, said base layer comprising two thin sheets of a water-proof and elastic foamed material having independent cells in the foamed structure thereof, between which two sheets of said foamed material are sandwiched and hermetically sealed a plurality of hollow cylindrically shaped bodies formed of a foamed material, said cylindrically shaped bodies being positioned with the axes thereof substantially in parallel to define a layer thereof having a thickness substantially equal to the outside diameter of said bodies.

2, The bathing garment according to claim 1 comprising at least one piece of said composite material, the total pieces of said composite material being arranged in a pattern containing seams, said pattern corresponding to the shape of the body upon which said garment is to be worn, said seams in said pattern being defined by a non-overlapping abutment between edges of said composite material, said abutting edges of said composite material being sewn and joined together at said seams.

3. The bathing garment according to claim 2 wherein 6 the edges of said composite material in said pattern not located at a seam are covered with a strip of an elastic tape.

4. The bathing garment according to claim 2 in the form of a bathing suit.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,504,916 8/24 Teiber 9-334 2,341,019 2/44 Cook 2877 X 2,392,576 1/46 Caselle 9346 X 2,897,821 8/59 Lerner 128479 3,094,722 1/ 63 Lerner 9334 3,134,994 6/64 Christofferson 9-334 MILTON BUCI-ILER, Primary Examiner.

FERGUS S. MIDDLETON, Examiner. 

1. A BUOYANT BATHING GARMET FORMED OF A COMPOSITE MATERIAL COMPRISING OF WATER-PROOF BASE LAYER UPON A LEAST THE OUTER SURFACE OF WHICH BASE LAYER IS INTEGRALLY ADHERED A FABRIC SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF KNITTED AND WOVEN FABRICS, SAID BASE LAYER COMPRISING TWO THIN SHEETS OF A WATER-PROOF AND ELASTIC FOAMED MATERIAL HAVING INDEPENDENT CELLS IN THE FOAMED STRUCTURE THEREOF, BETWEEN WHICH TWO SHEETS OF SAID FOAMED MATERIAL ARE SANDWICHED AND HERMETICALLY SEALED A PLURALITY OF HOLLOW CYLINDRICALLY SHAPED BODIES FORMED A FOAMED MATERIAL, SAID CYLINDRICALLY SHAPED BODIES BEING POSITIONED WITH THE AXES THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY IN PARALLEL TO DEFINE A LAYER THEREOF HAVING A THICKNESS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE OUTSIDE DIAMETER OF SAID BODIES. 